Workplace Safety Makes Good Business Sense.

The costs of reacting to workplace injuries and illnesses far exceed the costs of preventing them from happening in the first place. The direct costs of workplace accidents were estimated at $48.6 billion in 2006.*

Direct costs of a workplace accident/incident include:

• Payment to workers,
• Workers’ compensation payments,
• Medical expenses, and
• Costs for legal services.

Businesses paid an additional $127 billion to $212 billion of indirect costs in 2006.*

Indirect costs of a workplace accident/incident include:

•  Replacement workers,
• Damaged property,
• Accident investigation,
• Corrective action,
• Delays/lost productivity,
• Low employee morale,
• Increased absenteeism, and
• Poor customer/community relations.

The total financial impact of serious workplace incidents is between $170 and $255 billion annually.*

*Liberty Mutual 2008 Workplace Safety Index

Does your company have an effective Drug-free workplace program?

Running an effective drug-free workplace program to keep employees safe and avoiding liability issues is certainly a challenge today.

Alcohol abuse is the most common controlled substance found to contribute to workers suffering fatal injuries but, recent reports show prescription drug abuse has become a public health crisis.  Not to mention, more states now have laws that make medical marijuana use legal.

Alarming trends in drug use
According to researchers from the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the rate of increased prescription drug use has become a public health issue and should be a concern to employers. Results of the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that of the estimated 19.3 million illicit drug users who were 18 or older at the time of the survey, 12.9 million (66.6 percent) were employed either full or part time.  The most alarming is the use among people the age 18 to 25 that are just entering the workplace.  Record numbers of this age group are turning up in emergency rooms every day.

Cost to employers and employees

The cost to employers shows up in a lack of attention to surroundings, increased absenteeism, increased injuries and motor vehicle accidents off the job.  Employees who abuse drugs are 10 times more likely to miss work, 3.6 times more likely to be involved in on-the-job incidents (and 5 times more likely to injure themselves or another worker in the process) and 5 times more likely to file a workers’ compensation claim. They also are said to be 33 percent less productive and responsible for potentially tripling health care costs.

Drug testing trends
Positive drug tests for cocaine and methamphetamine are on the decline, however an increasing number of American workers and job applicants are testing positive for prescription opiates. Depending on the particular prescription opiate, post-incident drug-test results are showing much higher positive rates compared with pre-employment tests.  For example, post-incident drug test results for hydrocodone detected opiates can show up to 4 times more often than pre-employment tests. These findings point to the possibility that prescription drugs are playing a role in incidents.

Drug testing policies must spell out conditions for testing, which closes the gap to worker claims of discrimination or invasion of privacy.

Emerging legal issues for States with medical marijuana laws

The District of Columbia and the following 15 states have passed medical marijuana use laws.

·        Alaska

·        Arizona

·        California

·        Colorado

·        Hawaii

·        Maine

·        Maryland

·        Michigan

·        New Jersey

·        Oregon

·        New Mexico

·        Rhode Island

·        Montana

·        Nevada

·        Washington

Employee use of medical marijuana also may raise issues with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other federal regulations, such as drug testing requirements mandated by the Department of Transportation.

Employers should examine which employees have safety-sensitive responsibilities and make sure state compliance & regulations will not be violated or impacted by their established Drug Free Workplace Policies & Procedures.  And remember, Drug-free workplace programs are not a one-size-fits-all plan.

Employers should provide employee assistance programs, which offer counseling for employees and their family members about substance abuse problems. When run well, EAPs can be extremely helpful for both employers and employees, but measures for punishment for violating drug policies should be included.  Employees also should be aware of whether or not their employee benefit coverage will pay for treatment. Lastly, do not underestimate the importance of your safety professionals being well-versed in understanding different types of addiction.